Charges Dismissed Against Lakeville Man In Death Of Vadnais Heights Woman

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Several murder charges against a Lakeville man in the death of a Vadnais Heights woman have been dismissed.

According to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of vehicular homicide against 51-year-old Timothy James Barr have been dismissed as the court decides where he should be charged.

In September, Barr was accused of killing 45-year-old Michelle Lee Newell sometime on or after Aug. 29. Newell was reported missing by her family on Sept. 8.

Records show Newell and Bar traveled to North Dakota together. Barr said that while in North Dakota, he took Newell in to the woods to find the drugs he believed she stole. She escaped and hid under his car. Barr then claimed to have accidentally driven over her and killed her.

On Sept. 19, while police were investigating Barr, he fled from officers in St. Paul while they attempted to conduct a traffic stop.

On Wednesday, Barr plead guilty to one count of fleeing police.

However, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said as facts continue to come out about Newell’s death, how and where she died, there is insufficient evidence to establish Minnesota as the jurisdiction.